Tag Archives: United Kingdom

ABC: Beauty Stab

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On November 14, 1983, “Neutron” label released “Beauty Stab”, the second ABC studio album. It was recorded August – September 1983, at “Sarm Studios East and West”, “Townhouse Studios”, “Abbey Road Studios” in London, and was produced by Gary Langan, Martin Fry, Mark White and Stephen Singleton.

Personnel:

  • Martin Fry – lead and backing vocals, string arrangements, design
  • Mark White – pianos, Roland Juno-6, E-mu Emulator, synthesizers, guitars, string arrangements, design
  • Stephen Singleton – alto saxophone, string arrangements, design
  • Alan Spenner – bass guitar
  • Andy Newmark – drums
  • Louis Jordan (Luís Jardim) – percussion
  • Howie Casey – tenor and baritone saxophone
  • David Theodore – oboe
  • David Bedford – string arrangements
  • Gary Langan – engineer
  • John Kurlander – engineer assistant
  • Bob Kraushaar – engineer assistant
  • Keith Nixon – engineer assistant
  • Keith Breeden – design assistant
  • Gered Mankowitz – photography

Track listing:

All tracks by Martin Fry, Mark White and Stephen Singleton.

  1. That Was Then but This is Now
  2. Love’s a Dangerous Language
  3. If I Ever Thought You’d Be Lonely
  4. The Power of Persuasion
  5. Beauty Stab
  6. By Default, by Design
  7. Hey Citizen!
  8. King Money
  9. Nite the Hand
  10. Unzip
  11. S.O.S.
  12. United Kingdom

Meat Loaf

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On January 20, 2022, Michael Lee Aday aka Meat Loaf died aged 74. He was singer, song writer and actor, one of the best-selling musicians of all times. His “Bat Out of Hell” trilogy (“Bat Out of Hell”, “Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell”, and “Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose”), has sold more than 65 million albums worldwide. The first album stayed on the charts more than nine years, making it one of the best-selling albums in history of modern music. Loaf received “Grammy Award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance” for the song “I’d Do Anything for Love”. In 1994, in United Kingdom he received the “Brit Award: for Best Selling Album and Single”. On VH1’s list of “100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock”, he is ranked at number 96.

Björk: Post

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Bjork_Post

On June 13, 1995, “One Little Indian” label released “Post”, the second Björk solo studio album. It was recorded 1994 – 1995, at “Compass Point Studios” in the Bahamas, and was produced by Björk, Tricky and Nellee Hooper. “Post” was certified Platinum in Australia, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked the album at number 376 on its list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.

Personnel:

  • Björk – vocals, keyboards, organ, string arrangements, brass arrangements, beat programming, arranger
  • Graham Massey– keyboards, programming
  • Tricky– keyboards, programming
  • Marius de Vries– keyboards, programming
  • Talvin Singh– percussion
  • Gary Barnacle– soprano sax
  • Stuart Brooks – trumpet
  • Einar Orn – trumpet
  • Maurice Murphy – trumpet
  • Rob Smissen – viola
  • Tony Pleeth – cello
  • Guy Sigsworth– harpsichord
  • Jim Couza– hammer dulcimer
  • John Altman – orchestra arrangements, conductor
  • Howie Bernstein– programming, engineer, mixing
  • Marcus Dravs – programming, engineer, mixing
  • Lenny Franchi – programming, engineer
  • Eumir Deodato– string arrangements, conductor
  • Isobel Griffiths – orchestral contractor
  • Gavin Wright – orchestra leader
  • Al Fisch – engineer
  • Al Stone – engineer
  • Steve Price – engineer
  • Mark “Spike” Stent– mixing
  • Me Company – artwork packaging design
  • Martin Gardiner – lotus flower modeling
  • Stéphane Sednaoui – photography

Track listing:

  1. Army of Me – Björk, Graham Massey
  2. Hyperballad – Björk
  3. The Modern Things – Björk, Graham Massey
  4. It’s Oh So Quiet – Bert Reisfeld, Hans Lang
  5. Enjoy – Björk, Tricky
  6. You’ve Been Flirting Again – Björk
  7. Isobel – Björk, Marius de Vries, Nellee Hooper Sjón
  8. Possibly Maybe – Björk
  9. I Miss You – Björk, Howie Bernstein
  10. Cover Me – Björk
  11. Headphones – Björk, Tricky

 

Mark Knopfler: Golden Heart

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Golden Heart

On March 26, 1996, “Vertigo” label released “Golden Heart”, the debut Mark Knopfler solo studio album. It was recorded 1994 – 1996, at “Emerald Sound Studios”,”Javelina Recording Studios”, “AIR Studios” and  “Windmill Lane Studios”, and was produced by Mark Knopfler and Chuck Ainlay.

Personnel:

  • Mark Knopfler– vocals, guitar
  • Richard Bennett– acoustic and electric guitar, tiplé
  • Sonny Landreth– National steel guitar, backing vocals
  • Don Potter– acoustic guitar
  • Paul Franklin– pedal steel guitar
  • Dónal Lunny– bouzouki
  • Matt Rollings– piano
  • Barry Beckett– piano
  • Hargus “Pig” Robbins– piano
  • Bill Cuomo – Hammond organ
  • Guy Fletcher– keyboards, backing vocals
  • Steve Nathan – Hammond organ), keyboards
  • Steve Conn – accordion
  • Jo-El Sonnier– accordion
  • Máirtín O’Connor– accordion
  • Paul Moore – bass, string bass
  • Michael Rhodes – bass
  • Glenn Worf– bass, string bass
  • Eddie Bayers– drums
  • Robbie Casserly – drums
  • Chad Cromwell– drums
  • Danny Cummings– percussion, backing vocals
  • Derek Bell– Irish harp
  • Paul Brady– whistle
  • Seán Keane– violin
  • Liam O’Flynn– uilleann pipes
  • Michael Doucet– fiddle
  • Terry McMillan– djembe
  • Billy Ware – triangle
  • Brendan Croker– backing vocals
  • Vince Gill– backing vocals
  • Chuck Ainlay–  engineer, mixing
  • Brian Masterson – engineer
  • Graham Lewis – assistant engineer, mixing assistant
  • Denny Purcell – mastering
  • Jonathan Russell – mastering assistant
  • David Scheinmann – photography

Track listing:

All tracks by Mark Knopfler.

  1. Darling Pretty
  2. Imelda
  3. Golden Heart
  4. No Can Do
  5. Vic and Ray
  6. Don’t You Get It
  7. A Night in Summer Long Ago
  8. Cannibals
  9. I’m the Fool
  10. Je Suis Désolé
  11. Rüdiger
  12. Nobody’s Got the Gun
  13. Done with Bonaparte
  14. Are We in Trouble Now

Dire Straits: Same

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Dire Straits first album

On Octoebr 7, 1978, “Vertigo” label released the self titled, debut Dire Straits studio album. It was recorded February – March 1978, at the “Basing Street Studios”, London, and was produced by Muff Winwood. The album featured the hit single “Sultans of Swing”, which became the band’s trademark and helped the album to be certified 2 x Platinum in the US and UK.

Personnel:

  • Mark Knopfler– vocals, lead and rhythm guitars
  • David Knopfler– vocals, rhythm guitar
  • John Isley– vocals, bass
  • Pick Withers– drums

Track listing:

All tracks by Mark Knopfler.

  1. Down to the Waterline
  2. Water of Love
  3. Setting me Up
  4. Six Blade Knife
  5. Southbound Again
  6. Sultans of Swing
  7. In the Gallery
  8. Wild West End
  9. Lions

James Last

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On June 9, 2015, Hans Last aka James Last (also known as “Hansi”) died aged 86. He was composer and big band leader, best known for his “happy music”, an upbeat, easy-listening covers of classical music, polka, rock, pop and soul hits with his big band. His work was denied by the music critics but the audience loved his music, especially in United Kingdom and in his native Germany. In his five decades long career, Last released more than 190 albums and sold more than 80 millions album copies worldwide, becoming the most successful commercial big band leader after the second World War Two.